Ich liebe die Pauschalität. Die Pauschalität liebt mich.

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Monthly Archives: September 2012

nearly every day I wake up because of heavy noise from some working next door. one day the walls were moving and some dirt fall from the wall.. I was really afraid that they would break a hole into the wall. today I woke up ’cause of long never ending knocking on the door, there they were again.. my friends the polish plumbers, they ask me to turn on the water and then told me that they have to shut down the water for two hours. oh yes two hours.. that was about three hours ago and when I left they told me.. we change the whole pipe.. yeah.. so no water for me I guess…

I’m in Chicago now for more then two weeks. after my John Cage experience I spent a lot of time with a french couchsurfer Axelle.. she is a great cook.. I miss that someone is cooking for me 😉

This weekend my experimental music experience in Chicago started. On Saturday I was at the ESS (experimental sound studio) where Michael Thieke a german clarinetist and composer played a solo concert. Sunday I went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory where the opening of the sound installation “wood music/Holzmusik” from Michael in cooperation with ESS took place. I think the ESS is a great place, a place for music and interdisciplinary artwork. They have a whole house and a nice garden in the backyard for concerts and where for example next Sunday a wine tasting paired with music takes place. One of their aims is to build an archive of experimental music in Chicago. I’m happy that I found this place and I’m going to spend some time there while I’m in Chicago. Through the amazing people at ESS I also get to know lot’s of interesting people, artists and venues for sure. And I want to add that I feel very comfortable at ESS.

So yesterday evening I went to a weekly concert series at the hungry brain. Two bands were playing

SET I: Summerfield/Lonberg-Holm/Kirchner/Rosaly
SET II: Thieke/Gregorio/Baker/Zerang

Both sets were very energetic and I enjoyed listening to them. I had the impression that the second set was more calm, although there was a lot going on too. I felt that there was a different kind of listening in both sets and for sure for every musician too. They seemed to enjoy themselves and I felt a desire to play myself.

my first day in Chicago and I already had some great experiences. I’m staying here with John, he’s really good to talk to.. this is what we did all saturday morning. afterwards I went to the (new) corpse performance space where readings and performances in celebration of John Cages 100th birthday took place. I got lost on my way there and was walking round in wicker park in Chicago. When I arrived there was silence and I totally crashed it.. hm.. no it was not that bad 🙂 the performance was in the apartment of two people in N. Millwaukee and it was really great. The flat was full of people who were really interested. there were lectures by Devin King, a toy piano performance by Keven Kalay, one minute pieces from ‘Indeterminacy’ and performances by Troy Schafer, Ira Murfin and Emmy Bean, Elizabeth Metzger Sampson and Eric VanDenmark and Meghan McGrath. I really like the performing of ‘Radio Music’ (1965) by The Speers and the performance of Stephen Germana, that reminded me of the substrata festival in Seattle. One other highlight was a silent birthday song for John Cage and blowing out 100 candles on beautiful, homemade (afterwards yessica told me, they were out of a box) cupcakes – my first cupcakes ever…

One thing I really liked was that people took the performances serious but were also able to laugh.. I could not imagine this in Vienna. great!

Afterwards I was walking home, set up my equipment and did some recordings … and acutally I’m in the middle of reading ‘Mixing with your mind’ from Michael Paul Stavrou and until now I think it is really a good book and I can draw some lines between my ‘learning by doing’ experience at the Amannstudio and some really good (written) information by Stavrou.

it’s getting colder.. and hotter at once. how can this be happening.. I don’t get it.. I was melting when I waited for the A train… outside there should have been a thunderstorm.. but not really.

there s noise everywhere, it s great. your bedded in sound. on sunday bernd and I had a listening session of his recordings.. I loved it.. I felt like I could sit there and listen to his sounds and music forever. I got tired he woke up and vice versa… I put my zoom to my window.. I hear the air-condition and the water drops.. perfect sunday ..

I’m still in NYC but also some part of me is in Chicago.. I’m torn…

friday I’m heading to the windy city.. I was just writing to some hosts on couchsurfing (great project by the way) and I stumbled over more and more great and interesting people… musicians, artists of live, personalities, weirdos, technique nerds.. recording and video .. sound.. artists.. families yoga teachers.. whatever.. I had to stop.. I hope I ll find a couch to crash, a place to stay.. where I can set up my stuff and where I can focus on my inspiration, motivation.. and build whatever s coming out of it…